Scotland’s capital city is gearing up to host what has become a firm fixture in its calendar this week. Supporting the Scottish Poppy Appeal, Edinburgh Poppy Day returns tomorrow (Thursday, October 30), live from St Andrew Square throughout the day.
Working in partnership with Poppyscotland to provide the day’s entertainment is BFBS (British Forces Broadcasting Service) with presenters Mark McKenzie and Jim Gellatly who will host a concert with music from the Band of the Royal Marines Scotland, Edinburgh Military Wives Choir, Rosyth Military Wives Choir, RBLS Dunfermline & District Pipe Band and Wave of the Flood, Royal Marine veteran Richard Kerr and George Heriot’s School Pipe Band.
They will also speak to a host of special guests live on air throughout the day from 10.30am to 3.30pm.
Scores of volunteers will also be out on the day to collect the vital funds the charity needs to continue supporting the Armed Forces community in Scotland.
Richard Todd, National Poppy Appeal Manager – Scotland, said: “Edinburgh Poppy Day is always a huge hit across our capital city with locals and visitors taking in the atmosphere and entertainment in St Andrew Square and further afield.
“It is a day where people come together to show their support for the Scottish Poppy Appeal as we lead up to our national day of Remembrance. So, please pop along, donate what you can, wear your poppy with pride and say hello to our wonderful team of volunteers.”
Radio presenter Mark McKenzie, of BFBS, said: “This is always a great day where BFBS teams up with fantastic musicians to highlight the work done by Poppyscotland and how the charity supports our Armed Forces and the veteran’s community.”
Money raised from the Scottish Poppy Appeal and Poppyscotland’s year-round fundraising enables them to deliver support to members of the Armed Forces community in Scotland by providing tailored funding and assistance. The charity also funds services in advice, employment, housing, mental health and mobility.
Ahead of the Just Transition Commission Summit getting underway in Edinburgh today [Weds 29 Oct], First Minister John Swinney has highlighted the importance of supporting workers and livelihoods in the journey to net zero.
The First Minister will speak at the summit and announce the Scottish Government’s intention to renew the Just Transition Commission for the next Parliamentary term.
The Just Transition Commission provides independent scrutiny and advice to the Scottish Government on how to deliver a resilient, low carbon economy that delivers fairness and tackles inequalities.
Since being established in 2019, the Commission has provided detailed insight on investment and regional planning, commissioned research and identified strategic opportunities for progress.
Speaking ahead of the summit, Mr Swinney said: “Tackling the climate emergency is the one of the most pressing issues faced by governments around the world, and it is one of my overarching priorities as First Minister.
“It is my firm belief that the drive to net zero offers real opportunity for Scotland, and that the transition to renewable energy is vital to economic growth. To harness these opportunities however, we must ensure that we are bringing people, workforces and communities with us on the journey.
“In practice, that means delivering support to help oil and gas workers gain skills they need to access jobs in the sustainable energy sector and working with businesses to ensure workforces are equipped for green technologies.
“The Just Transition Commission has played an important role in supporting progress to a low carbon economy while ensuring fairness and equality.
“Our intention to renew the Commission will enable it to continue delivering meaningful engagement, analysis and expert advice with a clear focus on delivery.”
Young people in Edinburgh are set to benefit from a share of more than £3 million (£3,092,915) awarded today (Wednesday 29th October) to 40 project across Scotland run for and by young people.
Seven youth projects from across Edinburgh will share a total award of over £450,000. These are Granton Youth, Multicultural Family Base. Passion4Fusion, Children in Scotland, Lothian Autistic Society, The Fruitmarket Gallery and Think Circus.
The dormant assets funding from Young Start and delivered by The National Lottery Community Fund, helps 8-24 year olds build confidence, develop confidence and thrive in their communities.
Each organisation will use its share of funding to deliver projects that will boost wellbeing, encourage community involvement and equip young people with the skills to excel and champion their voices. See full list of projects.
Passion4Fussion receives £65,529 to develop and expand its sports outreach, volunteering and peer mentoring programme to support at least 180 children and young people in Edinburgh and West Lothian, helping them to build their confidence and leadership skills.
Vinomaandero Tjihumino, 22, joined the charity as a young person before becoming a volunteer coach.
He said: “When I first came to Edinburgh, I had no friends and felt isolated as an immigrant. Joining Passion4Fusion changed everything, I made so many friends, grew in confidence, and later became a volunteer.
“The organisation supported me through my coaching licence, and now I’m studying a sports programme at university! I’m so proud that I can give back to my community and help others overcome the same challenges I once faced.”
When asked what the Young Start funding means for the charity, Isaac Akhadelor, Project Coordinator, Passion4Fusion said: “This funding will be transformational for our sports programme.
“It’s empowering us to reach more young people across Edinburgh and West Lothian, using sport as a tool for inclusion, confidence-building, and community connections.”
Another organisation, The Fruitmarket Gallery, also based in Edinburgh will use its £57,286 grant to launch and run its Youth ART Connects project, which aims to engage young people aged 16 to 25 who are blind and or visually impaired, from ethnically minoritised communities, and or identify as LGBTQIA+, to create three bodies of work to be exhibited at The Fruitmarket Gallery.
The Youth ART Connects project will run over two years supporting young people through the creative process and providing career and access opportunities within the arts and culture sector.
Tracy Morgan, Community Engagement Manager, The Fruitmarket Gallery said:“Delivered by Fruitmarket in partnership with leading artists and youth organisations across Scotland, this programme aims to reshape how galleries engage with young people – creating lasting change by amplifying the voices and visions of those who deserve to be seen, heard, and celebrated.”
EDINBURGH AWARDEES:
Children in Scotland £62,250
This group will use funding to run the two year ‘My Rights, My Say. Building Bridges’ project, led by young advisors aged 12-15 year old with additional support needs (ASN), aims to empower and connect children and young people with ASN across Scotland while bridging the gap with education professionals.
Granton Youth Ltd £53,481
This group will use the funding to support up to 60 young people aged 14-25, in Granton, across two years. The young people will be supported to volunteer, peer mentor and work toward accreditation with recognised awards.
Lothian Autistic Society £99,518
This group will provide wrap around support and mentoring for 45 young people with autism and other developmental disabilities, aged 12-18 years old in Edinburgh and the surrounding area, over three years.
Multi-Cultural Family Base £65,785
This group will use two years funding to deliver and expand their Young Ambassadors programme, for 60 young people aged 12-15.
Passion4Fusion £65,529
This group will use funding to develop and expand their sports outreach, volunteering and peer mentoring programme for up to 200 young people from ethnically minoritised communities, aged eight-24 years.
The Fruitmarket Gallery £57,286
This group will use their funding to engage with young people from three underrepresented groups (blind and visually impaired, ethnically minoritised communities, and LGBTQIA+ young people), over two years, in Edinburgh within the arts sector to create three bodies of work to be exhibited at the Fruitmarket Gallery.
Think Circus SCIO £49,415
This group will use the funding to support up to 65 girls from primary six to first year in high school in Edinburgh, over two years.
See below for full list of successful applications:
Announcing the funding Kate Still, Scotland Chair, The National Lottery Community Fund said: “Organisations such as Passion4Fusion and The Fruitmarket Gallery empower young people to play an active leadership role in their local and wider community.
“Equipping them with the skills, network and confidence they need to unlock their full potential.
“We’re incredibly grateful to support them on this journey through this latest round of Young Start funding, that will improve the lives of young people across Scotland, through 40 inspiring projects.”
Young Start helps young people aged eight to 24 become more confident and play an active part in realising their potential. Funding of up to £100,000 is available for youth led projects.
Healthcare Improvement Scotland: Inspection report Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh, NHS Lothian
Healthcare Improvement Scotland today (Wednesday 29 October) published a report relating to a Maternity Services Safe Delivery of Care inspection visit to the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh, NHS Lothian.
We carried out the unannounced inspection of maternity services at the hospital on 23-24 June 2025.
Speaking of the report, Donna Maclean, Chief Inspector, Healthcare Improvement Scotland, said: “During our inspection of the maternity services we saw staff working hard to provide compassionate and responsive care in very challenging circumstances. All interactions observed during inspection between women, babies and families were positive and respectful.
“We saw good teamwork and innovation within the maternity triage department involving extended members of the multidisciplinary team including obstetricians, midwives and the healthcare support team.
“However, during the course of this inspection, we escalated serious concerns within NHS Lothian to senior staff and Scottish Government. These concerns related to culture, oversight of patient safety and staff wellbeing within Edinburgh Royal Infirmary maternity services.
“Some staff were complimentary and described their line manager as supportive. However, the majority of the multidisciplinary team we spoke with were frustrated at staffing levels and told us this presented a safety risk, which they’d raised on multiple occasions with managers.
“They shared their concerns and feelings of being overwhelmed, unsupported and not listened to. They said this has impacted staff confidence to escalate staffing concerns.
“During the inspection we observed delays to the induction of labour process of up to 29 hours and other delays to women who required ongoing care within the labour ward due to lack of staff availability, capacity and the complexities of patient conditions.
“Staff described suboptimal skill mix and challenges in providing and maintaining one to one care for women within the labour ward, as well as delays to observations or escalation of clinical concerns.
“Our inspection has highlighted gaps in incident reporting and a reluctance to submit incident reports, with staff describing a culture of mistrust. These are concerning issues that may have significant impact on the learning from adverse events in the system and reduce opportunities to improve safety.
“Women told us of mixed experiences within the hospital, whilst some were complimentary of their care, they also informed inspectors of poor communication that left them feeling uninformed and with no ‘voice’ in their care.”
Other areas for improvement identified included fire safety requirements, safe storage of cleaning products and improvements to the environment.
Speaking of our expansion of Safe Delivery of Care inspections into maternity services, Eddie Docherty, Director of Quality Assurance and Regulation, said: “In response to Healthcare Improvement Scotland’s Neonatal Mortality Review in 2024, we made a commitment to expanding our Safe Delivery of Care inspection approach to include inpatient maternity services.
“The maternity inspections will provide women, and families with an assessment of the quality of care provided by their local maternity service and an independent review of any required improvements.
“Our organisation is also producing a set of standards for maternity services, which will in time support our inspection process for maternity services.”
The maternity services inspection at the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh resulted in five areas of good practice, two recommendations and 26 requirements.
An improvement action plan has been developed by NHS Lothian to meet the requirements for maternity services.
The full Lothian maternity inspection report is available to view at:
Pre-empting the report, NHS Lothian issued a statement yesterday:
KEY MESSAGES FOR PATIENTS
You are likely to read or hear some stories in the media this week about maternity services in NHS Lothian.
A new BBC documentary will air on Tuesday and will explore challenges in maternity services across Scotland. It is looking at situations and cases in the bigger units of Glasgow and Edinburgh and is following up on the improvement work that is already underway in NHS Lothian.
Then on Wednesday, Healthcare Improvement Scotland (HIS) will publish a report into Women’s Services following two unannounced visits in June.
You might understandably have some questions or concerns about what is going on. It is also to be expected that you may feel more anxious than normal.
We can reassure you that your health, and that of your baby, is our main priority.
If you have any questions at all, please raise them. If your expert midwife can’t answer them, they will be able to find someone else who can help.
A phoneline has also been established to help answer any questions or concerns. It will be manned by our Patient Experience Team with a local contact in Women’s Services for any specific issues.
You can make contact on: Tel 0131 536 3370 (open Mon-Fri, 9am to 2pm) and on email: LOTH.Feedback@nhs.scot
Many of the things to note are:
We know these reports will be concerning and we apologise to women, people who use the service, and their families and can reassure them that these issues are being taken extremely seriously.
A major improvement programme began last year and is already underway across women’s services in NHS Lothian.
Many of the points we expect to be mentioned in the BBC documentary and many of the findings in the HIS report actually reinforce the work that is already underway and serve to strengthen the improvement plan.
The issues are being taken extremely seriously, and we have always been clear that wider ranging matters, such as staffing, recruitment and working culture within the department, will take time to resolve.
Significant investment and improvements have already been made, and many new posts have been filled, but there is still more to do to ensure our staff feel supported at work, safe to raise concerns and able to thrive.
We are working to enhance patient safety, quality of care and improve working conditions for our teams.
The first and ongoing phase of improvement work focussed on patient care. The second phase is focussed on staff working culture, training and environment.
As part of the programme, we have improved triage and escalation increased staffing, boosted training, altered placement rotation and created robust patient pathways.
The report highlighted some areas of good practice, particularly our maternity triage system which is one of areas already targeted by the ongoing improvement programme.
